RFP_7200_HAW3000_ADD_1_v1.pdf

SOLICITATION ADDENDUM

AUSTIN FINANCIAL SERVICES – CENTRAL PROCUREMENT

Revised 10/01/2024

Solicitation: RFP 7200 HAW3000 Addendum No: 1 Date: 08/25/2026

This addendum is to incorporate the following changes to the above referenced solicitation:

1.0 Questions:

Q1 Question: Regarding the background check, does this pertain to the potential 80 Secret Shoppers?

Q1 Answer: No, it does not apply to Secret Shoppers.

Q2 Question: Can we receive clarity on the following language: “Convicted of any felony or misdemeanor offense for which incarceration for up to 1 year is an authorized penalty.” Does this mean that if someone working on the contract (let’s say a program manager) served over a year for a felony or misdemeanor, they are ineligible for hire? Does this include time spent waiting on sentencing? OR does this mean a crime they were convicted for that could have had serving for over a year as a punishment? We tend to specifically work with people who are justice impacted / have an incarceration background.

Q2 Answer: This requirement applies only to the contracted organization(s) and the Program Manager, not to the individual shoppers. For those positions, the prohibition applies to anyone who either served more than one year of incarceration or who could have been sentenced to more than one year based on the conviction. Therefore, both circumstances described in the question would fall within the prohibition.

The shoppers themselves are not subject to this restriction. The intent is for shoppers to include individuals with felony or misdemeanor convictions or others who have faced barriers to accessing housing.

Q3 Question: Will this solicitation include shelters, PSH properties, and eviction processes / experiences?

Can it?

Q3 Answer: It will include some PSH properties that received Rental Housing Development Assistance funding, but it will not include shelters.

Q4 Question: Many of the low-income properties have a long or closed waitlist. If the City wants all sites evaluated, will there be a way to expedite someone on their list?

Q4 Answer: Waiting lists are required under the RHDA Guidelines and are maintained by individual properties. The City does not monitor or manage those waiting lists for the purpose of selecting secret shoppers, and participation in the program does not guarantee housing for secret shoppers. The City will test RHDA properties operating under the 2018 Guidelines and later, which represents a subset of all RHDA properties, just over 50 properties.

Q5 Question: The total award amount is up to $134,200 for a 12-month period? Are we allowed to request additional funding for that period? This solicitation would work best with a dedicated housing navigator and a program manager.

Q5 Answer: Requests may be made, but no additional funding is available at this time. The Contractor should communicate any budget concerns or issues during the monthly meetings.

Q6 Question: May the costs proposed under Item 1.1, Planning & Set-Up, be invoiced upon completion and acceptance of the applicable start-up deliverables, such as the kick-off activities, recruitment and onboarding plan, Shopper reporting mechanism, and training curriculum? Or must these costs be amortized and invoiced over the Contract period?

Q6 Answer: Payment will be based on performance. Once a deliverable has been completed and accepted, the Contractor may submit an invoice for payment.

Q7 Question: May Contract Labor costs associated with Secret Shopper compensation, including training time, shopping activities, and reporting requirements, be invoiced monthly based on services performed and costs incurred during the applicable billing period?

Q7 Answer: You may invoice monthly for secret shopper contract labor. Similar to the response to Question #6, once the work has been completed, we can process an invoice for either contract labor or the prime contractor’s administrative work.

Q8 Question: If the Prime Contractor utilizes a qualified subcontractor to support Secret Shopper recruitment, management, and payment administration, may those subcontractor costs be included and invoiced under Contract Labor as part of the Prime Contractor's monthly invoice to the City?

Q8 Answer: Yes. The Contractor may use more than one subcontractor, if needed.

Q9 Question: The solicitation indicates that insurance is required. Please confirm whether the Contractor is required to maintain all insurance coverage specified in the solicitation at the time of proposal submission or only upon notice of award/contract execution. Additionally, please confirm whether any specific insurance requirements or minimum coverage limits apply to subcontractors or community partners performing outreach, recruitment, Shopper management, training, or payment administration.

Q9 Answer: Insurance is required at the time of contract execution and is not required to be in place at the time of proposal submission.

Per Section 1.39(B)(iv), the Contractor must require all subcontractors to obtain and maintain, throughout the term of their subcontract, the same types and amounts of insurance required of the Contractor, with the City named as an insured as its interest may appear.

If a community partner is engaged as a subcontractor to perform outreach, recruitment, Shopper management, training, payment administration, or other services under the Contract, the subcontractor insurance requirements would apply. If an organization is participating only as a community partner and is not acting as a subcontractor under the Contract, those requirements would not automatically apply.

2.0 ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS REMAIN THE SAME.

ACKNOWLEDGED BY:

Offeror Name Offeror Authorized Signature Date

RETURN ONE COPY OF THIS ADDENDUM WITH YOUR RESPONSE PRIOR TO THE SOLICITATION CLOSING

DATE. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY CONSTITUTE GROUNDS FOR REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER.